Sizzling grills, full of jerk chicken and fish, blow tangy clouds of smoke as the waves of Boston Beach crash in the distance.

Renowned for its spicy-sweet jerk sauce and rumbling surf break, Jamaica’s Boston Beach is a laid back spot for a tasty bite, good swim and a friendly face.

Competition between restaurants is fierce and as we stepped from the share-taxi into the tropical Jamaican sun, grill masters surrounded us, trying to hustle us into their stalls.

We weren’t ready to eat and headed the beach to get a bit sandy. Depending on where you go in Jamaica, relaxing often entails inquisitive faces and friendly conversations that climax with a pitch to check out a shop, or artisanal crafts or at Boston Beach, fresh caught lobster or crab or fish dangled before you. (If you weren’t hungry before, you will be in no time).

A few feet away, two tall, skinny brothers with contagious smiles and their friend fought a beach war, bombing each other with handfuls of sand as they jumped from a crumbling cement platform onto the sandy beach.

Check out photos of Boston Beach – it’s definitely worth the trip if you’re headed to Jamaica and want to escape the tourist trap and enjoy its culinary delight.